Spec Ops: The Line gets delisted on Steam - you can still buy it elsewhere for now

This is the one misgiving I have about PC games being sold almost exclusively as digital release. It's too easy for someone to flip a switch and take them away.

This time-limited licensing is such bullshit. Basically building a self-destruct timer into the product.

Copyright, patents, etc. are generally misused nowadays. They were intended for individual creators to get compensation and credit for their work, not for corporations to hoard, exploit and fatten their portfolios.

How does that work for films? Or rather: how can music licensing work for films with seemingly little to no hassle once a deal is struck, but is a gigantic and recurring pain for video games?

Or, are movie industry execs stuck in neverending meetings about licensing this song for Apocalypse Now, or that bit of stock footage?

Clearly, something needs (re-)regulating here.

There are different kinds of music licenses. The most expensive one grants rights in perpetuity, which is typically the license purchased by television and movie studios. Or they might cut a deal with the artist (or more likely the record label) to pay a small royalty on every sale.

While video games are popular, they do not generate anywhere near the revenue of a top movie or television studio, so game studios tend to have less clout when negotiating music licensing deals

This time-limited licensing is such bullshit. Basically building a self-destruct timer into the product.

Copyright, patents, etc. are generally misused nowadays. They were intended for individual creators to get compensation and credit for their work, not for corporations to hoard, exploit and fatten their portfolios.

While I agree that should describe the world, I'm not sure it actually does. Whatever nice sounding rhetoric has been said, either now or at the time the laws were first being defined, benefits for publishers were a big, and perhaps the biggest, part of the mix from the very beginning.

This time-limited licensing is such bullshit. Basically building a self-destruct timer into the product.

Copyright, patents, etc. are generally misused nowadays. They were intended for individual creators to get compensation and credit for their work, not for corporations to hoard, exploit and fatten their portfolios.

How does that work for films? Or rather: how can music licensing work for films with seemingly little to no hassle once a deal is struck, but is a gigantic and recurring pain for video games?

Or, are movie industry execs stuck in neverending meetings about licensing this song for Apocalypse Now, or that bit of stock footage?

Clearly, something needs (re-)regulating here.

There are different kinds of music licenses. The most expensive one grants rights in perpetuity, which is typically the license purchased by television and movie studios. Or they might cut a deal with the artist (or more likely the record label) to pay a small royalty on every sale.

While video games are popular, they do not generate anywhere near the revenue of a top movie or television studio, so game studios tend to have less clout when negotiating music licensing deals

I get that, but I do think there's also the component of video games having a serious problem with balancing out the ol' art-craft-business chestnut (even if I do understand where it may be coming from - there's a reason so many of the bigger film productions are co-financed the way they are, and, similarly there's a different set of reasons for why video games are not).

I mean, Saints Row gets licensed music in perpetuity, but Rockstar's The Biggest Thing Ever 4 doesn't? Uh-huh.

There I go with my "video games are art" spiel (even if low art, I should add since I used the examples I did). Games getting delisted for this particular reason just bothers me on a deep level.


Last edited by such on 30 Jan 2024 at 9:24 pm UTC

There are different kinds of music licenses. The most expensive one grants rights in perpetuity, which is typically the license purchased by television and movie studios. Or they might cut a deal with the artist (or more likely the record label) to pay a small royalty on every sale.

While video games are popular, they do not generate anywhere near the revenue of a top movie or television studio, so game studios tend to have less clout when negotiating music licensing deals

Games publishers absolutely have the revenue to buy perpetual licences. But whereas film and TV studios want to be able to license their products for re-distribution and syndication - which is much easier to do with clear upstream licensing - game publishers would much rather not have sales of their old titles competing with sales of their new titles. So films/TV get the perpetual licence and games get the marginally cheaper temporary licence.

“Spec Ops: The Line will no longer be available on online storefronts, as several partnership licenses related to the game are expiring,” explained 2K in a statement sent over to Kotaku. No specific licenses were named

https://kotaku.com/spec-ops-the-line-steam-delisted-removed-2k-licenses-1851209947

Developers from this game were not happy during development. I remember a couple saying it was very difficult (a nice way to say their boss was a a****le) and the team disbanded after completion, hence why it never got a sequel despite being a well received title.

After reading about it, it became clear why the game lacked a bit of polish to make it a true AAA title. It was still worth playing, IMHO. Is the closest thing Linuxers got to Gears of War, but with a more realistic setting.

morality and ethics of war right in the middle

Probably why its been removed. Given current global events.

Probably why its been removed. Given current global events.

No, it's probably music. IIRC it uses a few band songs, like Mogwai's Glasgow Mega-Snake, which was quite memorable for me.

Spec Ops looks to be now delisted on GOG as well. I was literally about to buy it today and missed the chance :/

I do have one extra key in Humble if somebody wants it. Can't guarantee that it works as AFAIK available keys are tied to sales on Steam. So remember to activate it right away.

There's small possibility it gets added back to the store. That happened with DuckTales Remastered. However DuckTales as brand is stronger, so the chance for Spec Ops: The Line are quite slim.

GOG confirmed delisted so only Humble left until their keys run out.

I do have one extra key in Humble if somebody wants it. Can't guarantee that it works as AFAIK available keys are tied to sales on Steam. So remember to activate it right away.

There's small possibility it gets added back to the store. That happened with DuckTales Remastered. However DuckTales as brand is stronger, so the chance for Spec Ops: The Line are quite slim.

No worries I own it on Steam already I just have taken a big swing towards DRM free lately and wanted it on GOG. Bummed out I missed it. Shouldn't have hesitated last night and just bought it lol.

I do have one extra key in Humble if somebody wants it. Can't guarantee that it works as AFAIK available keys are tied to sales on Steam. So remember to activate it right away.

There's small possibility it gets added back to the store. That happened with DuckTales Remastered. However DuckTales as brand is stronger, so the chance for Spec Ops: The Line are quite slim.

The key found a good home. Good news is that Humble at least has keys left.

This time-limited licensing is such bullshit. Basically building a self-destruct timer into the product.

Copyright, patents, etc. are generally misused nowadays. They were intended for individual creators to get compensation and credit for their work, not for corporations to hoard, exploit and fatten their portfolios.

While I agree that should describe the world, I'm not sure it actually does. Whatever nice sounding rhetoric has been said, either now or at the time the laws were first being defined, benefits for publishers were a big, and perhaps the biggest, part of the mix from the very beginning.

You can take a quick look at the history of publishing and see what you're saying is wrong. Most copyright was held by authors and artists for much of the early history of the law. As far as patents go, we know who early inventors were because their names were on the patents, not the names of corporations. The idea of corporations as "persons" is a relatively new concept.

Companies like Disney had to fight to get copyright extended for their own benefit, but the law didn't begin the way it is now. Furthermore, a lot of people don't realize how many rights they lost when the DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) went into effect. That was a law designed primarily to benefit corporate, capitalist interests, but it's only 25 years old.

It was one of the first high profile Linux native ports by Feral that I purchased. Such a shame.

Was actually VP :P

WHAT!!! How could I make such a mistake

Gonna request your Linux gamer card back

What does VP mean in this context?

Also, take my Linux gamer card...
Oh, the cruel irony - just as I got an actual gaming pc for the first time in my life... 😢

It was one of the first high profile Linux native ports by Feral that I purchased. Such a shame.

Was actually VP :P

WHAT!!! How could I make such a mistake

Gonna request your Linux gamer card back

What does VP mean in this context?

It's Virtual Programming. They're a Mac game publisher / porter who ported some high profile games to Linux as well. The ports weren't perfect, but I bought and enjoyed most of them anyway.